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What to Do with Dried Morel Mushrooms

Slofoodgroup Team April 05, 2023

Dried morels are a wonderful, umami-packed ingredient to have on hand. Morels, in general, are renowned for their deep earthy flavor and meat-like texture. The aesthetic appearance of morels is also noteworthy. Their brain-like caps are certainly eye-catching and, while they may not be quite as aesthetically pleasing once rehydrated, they will look no different than their fresh counterpart once cooked. As for the aforementioned textural and flavor components: the flavor remains regardless, and the meaty texture will return once rehydrated.

There really is no wrong way to rehydrate morels. You can use straight water, broth, wine, cream, or any other liquid you plan on cooking with. Whatever you do, if you choose water because you won’t be cooking with liquid, just don’t throw it out! Save it and use it to add that coveted morel flavor to other dishes.

If you happen to have dried morels and aren’t sure what to do with them, don’t fret. The sky really is the limit. They are a fantastic replacement for meat in vegetarian dishes but also compliment steak and chicken beautifully. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite uses and recipes for dried morel mushrooms.

Ways to Use Dried Morel Mushrooms

Sautéed Morels with Sea Salt

One of the simplest ways to eat morel mushrooms is also one of our favorites. We prefer to sauté them in butter and serve with just a sprinkle of sea salt, but olive oil, ghee, or coconut oil are all great substitutes. This simple application allows the morel flavor to really stand out.

Grind Them and Use as a Spice

While rehydrating dried morels really couldn’t be any easier, there might be a time when you want intense mushroom flavor without biting into them. Use a spice grinder or mortar and pestle to create a mushroom powder. Add it to soups, stews, and sauces or mix it into other seasoning blends to coat meats. Here’s a simple recipe for creating a spice blend for morel encrusted leg of lamb.

Stuffed Morel Mushrooms

Stuffed mushrooms are pretty common at potlucks and as appetizers at parties, but typical preparations include button mushrooms. While morels aren’t quite as easy to stuff because you have to pipe the filling in, they are at least twice as delicious, with a more full-bodied flavor. You can really stuff them with anything your heart desires, but these lemon mascarpone and kale stuffed morels are a show stopper!

Fried Morel Mushrooms

Another incredibly simple and popular way to enjoy morel mushrooms is to fry them. This can be as simple as using an egg wash and then dredging them in flour or corn startch. If you want to kick it up a notch, though, you could try a beer batter or even dip them in pancake batter prior to frying.

Morel Mushroom Risotto

It's not rare to see wild mushrooms in risotto dishes at fancy restaurants in the spring and early summer but with dried morels, you can incorporate them into this creamy rice dish year-round. Try this recipe for asparagus and morel risotto to start, and feel free to switch out the asparagus for something more seasonally appropriate as you see fit.

Use Dehydrated Morels in Soup

Not only do morel mushrooms supply an incredible textural component to soups and stews, the rehydration liquid can be used in place of other broths to add even more of that phenomenal morel flavor. Here are a few of our favorite soup recipes including morel mushrooms.

Vegan Menudo with Mexican Oregano and Morels

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

Creamy Green Garlic Soup with Morels